Guardian Rewrite
by lil-miss-happy
Summary: Rewrite of my previous story Guardian, and a whole lot better than my original version too!


Hi Everyone!

I'm really excited because this is the first chapter of the Guardian Rewrite! I really love it! It is a little bit darker than the original but I have lots of plans in the works for this story!

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**I have a google doc set up for this story so if anyone would like to join and be a beta or just help me bounce around ideas please let me know! The more the merrier!**

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Chapter One:

St Vladimir's Academy. I wish I could say I was here for a great reason, that the gothic buildings were anything but depressing to look at, and that the subjects being forced down my throat would be so advanced, they would the epitome of 21st century learning. But no, the buildings wouldn't be modern and give the feel of light in a world in which we lived in darkness. And the classes would not be in the 21st century, or teach us the skills we would need to literally survive.

As we were driven closer towards the intimidating and large wrought iron gates, my father turned his head and studied my face.

"Are you excited to start at your new school?"

I wasn't excited at all.

School had already been back in for a few weeks now. Senior year was supposed to be the best of my high school career, and yet, here I was, a new country, a new town, and a new boarding school.

Alone.

I'm Lady Rosemarie Mazur, but to the rest of the world I'm Rose Hathaway, a ridiculous attempt to keep me hidden using my dead mothers maiden name, or so my dad says.

Rosemarie Mazur, royal Moroi, politically correct, rich, bitch, snob, next in line to Mazur title, and the list goes on.

Rose Hathaway, Moroi, never politically correct, still rich, still a bitch, not so snobby, wouldn't be caught dead in a tiara, but most importantly, major attitude problems.

The last school I attended, in Russia, St Basil's, had been attacked by Strigoi. It had been the last week of term, everyone was excited for the holidays, including my circle of friends.

It was a few months ago now, but I remember it like it was yesterday. Viktoria, a Dhampir friend of mine, had a stash of alcohol saved for these very occasions, it wasn't the first time we'd snuck off to the abandoned amphitheatre to throw a party. It sat on the edge of the wards, I guess that's why it was abandoned and out of bounds.

It was for juniors only, even if the seniors crashed it, it wasn't as if anyone cared nor noticed anyway. We were excited about becoming seniors, it was like there was some unspoken power you'd receive when became one. We never thought that some of us wouldn't survive the last few days of junior year.

No one blamed us, Viktoria and I, for what would happen next, even though we threw the party. No one blamed anyone really, it just happened. It just was. Everyone said it was out of our control, no one could have done anything to stop it. It would have happened anyway.

But I knew better. I knew what they had been there for.

I thought back to that night. All we had were good intentions and loose inhibitions.

Elijah and his brother had been trying to impress Kat, conjuring fireballs and dodging each other, like some kind of abnormal snowball fight. I remembered smiling fondly, pleased my friend had found not one but two guys to get over her ex with, she was always one for the drama.

And then halfway up the theatre stairs a fight had broken out between my cousin Alison and a senior, Anya, I thought her name was. Alison had been wanting to be Queen B for years, and with the reigning Queen graduating, her chance was here. Anya obviously hadn't agreed, and a fight had ensued. Both girls had been drunk and their magic seemingly out of control, gale force winds had come out of nowhere and the stone flooring of the amphitheatre had begun to shake.

I'd guess that was what had tipped the Guardians off. It had been too late apparently.

The girls had been subdued and were sitting with their respective friends, sending the occasional glare the others way.  
It had been a great party, with a few minor hiccups, but the party had really only just begun, or so we had thought.

Everyone had been drinking, dancing, having a good time. We hadn't noticed we had visitors, particularly unwelcome ones at that.

I remembered the music stopping, everyone had gone deathly silent, it was ironic really, considering what would happen next. I had yelled out at someone, telling them to turn the music back on, I had been too far gone to realise what was going on.

It was a moment that would be etched into my brain for the rest of my life.

That scream. That scream of pure terror. I had turned around just in time to see Anya, her neck hanging limp as a male Strigoi dropped her to the ground.

She was dead, I could feel it.

I was ashamed that my first thought had been that it looked like Ali would be our new Queen B. But as we all stood, still staring at the Strigoi who had just snapped Anya's neck, grab Ali, not a few metres away, and do the same to her, well, irony is a bitch is it not?

He had looked me dead in the eye as he snapped my friend, and only cousin's neck. And with the advanced Moroi hearing I had been born with, I heard him whisper, as if I was the only one meant to hear, as if daring me to listen.

"Run"

And run we did.

It was as though, with that one whispered word, we had all been snapped out of some kind of trance. We scattered, but there was no hope for any of us. The only way was up, and by then we were surrounded at every entrance.

It had been like some badly made horror movie, drunk teenagers trying to escape deadly creatures of the night. I stood, centre stage, I knew what they wanted.

Me.

I watched the, literally, bloody tragedy happen around me. And in some kind of joke thrown at me by the gods, I was granted my own Romeo and Juliet moment. Not the kind of moment I had been dreaming of. Nik, my Nik, fought to his last breath, I had been proud, so proud, as he threw fireball after fireball.

We hadn't been taught offensive magic as such, but it had been drilled into our heads, just as it had been to the Dhampirs: Protect at all costs, defend at all costs.

And Nik had done that. Right until his neck had been snapped, by the same Strigoi who had murdered Anya and Alison, and I was certain countless others.

There had been about twenty of us left standing when the Guardians showed up.

Too little, too late.

And as I watched the slaughter continue, as my own Guardian was being drained, I had snapped. They had begun dropping, dead, every one of them, the Strigoi. And as each of them dropped, I dropped too.

I had lost so much that night.

And now here I was in Montana, St Vladimir's Academy.

"Not in the slightest Dad. I don't know why you're transferring me, here, of all places"

"It's safe here Rosemarie. Rumours are spreading amongst the Strigoi as we speak. None of them survived the attack and no one knows how, people are curious," he said scrutinising my face, as if looking for something he couldn't see. "And the Strigoi aren't the only ones" he muttered.

"It's not safe anywhere Dad. And is that really what you're worried about? People died! Alison died! Who cares if a bunch of Strigoi dropped dead!" I was becoming frustrated, I took a deep breath, trying to put on a careless facade, "You always say family is what matters, I think you should get your priorities straight." I muttered, still trying to keep up the facade of carelessness.

All summer I had tried not to think about Alison, and especially not Nik, but tonight when I would be alone in my new dorm room I knew that the tears would come.

"People die all the time Rosemarie, harsh but true. How else did you think we became the last of our line? You saw first hand what happens when Strigoi attack, it's brutal, it's bloody, and it may never change. There were what, fifty Strigoi in that attack? Only ten were found to have been killed with a stake or magic, the rest just dropped dead. I'll admit, for a bunch of junior and senior Moroi and novices, killing that many Strigoi is pretty good, especially since you had all been drinking." He said disapprovingly, but if we were being honest, he really didn't care that we'd been drinking, he just thought we were stupid for doing magic that close to the wards.

Who knew that the magic in wards could be weakened by other magic around it? You'd think that would have been something they'd tell us, even if the area was off limits.

"But not everywhere thinks the same as they do at St Basil's, especially not here Rose. Guardians do their usual job here, and the Moroi stand around looking pretty. Ultimately, Rose, that's why nothing will change. When it does change, that's when death will mean something. When people start fighting for their lives."

He was harsh, but he spoke the truth.

I knew he was telling me the truth, but it would also be surreal to see it first hand, something I was most definitely not looking forward to. Dhampirs and Moroi were something of an endangered species, and at St Basil's we had been taught a kind of 'food chain'.

The Royals were at the top, the twelve families were to be protected at all costs. The view St Basil's Academy had was that the rest of the Moroi and the Dhampirs were to protect each other, they depended on each other for survival.

The Guardians had cleared us to go through now and we were given directions to the administration building, where the headmistress greeted us out front, a smile on her face that looked overly fake.

She ushered us inside and towards her office, out of the cold she claimed, as she prattled on to my father about how great it was to see him again, how I would be so very safe and protected here. I wanted to laugh. If what my Dad said, about rumours being whispered through the Strigoi ranks, was even slightly true, I would never be safe.

I took in my surroundings as my father and the headmistress took care of the pleasantries. There were photos everywhere, not in a creepy way, just scattered around the room. I recognised some of the people, they were all Royals, students of St Vladimir's, past and present. I realised why her smile had creeped me out, why she seemed so happy to see us, she collected us, royals, she was a Moroi that name dropped and would boast about all the royals she knew.

I didn't think she'd be much of a problem, just an annoyance.

"Rosemarie, this is Headmistress Kirova." My father told me, as though he hadn't thoroughly briefed me on everything St Vladimir's Academy related.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Headmistress, I am so pleased to be joining St Vladimir's," I said to her, my political princess voice coming out. She too had been briefed on my situation, and knew my title was to be kept tight lipped. I hoped she had also been briefed on the fact that we would be seeing a lot of each other if I were to act anything like how I did at St Basil's.

"Please, Lady Mazur, the pleasures all ours." She replied, a reply I was expecting.

"Ellen," My dad cut in, "remember, while she's here she needs to be treated as Rose Hathaway, we can't take any chances. No one has seen Rosemarie since the accident, she's been thought dead since then. People are getting curious, rumours are flying, and people are whispering. The Mazur heir needs to be kept safe, and I won't rest easy until she is."

Kirova was nodding, and I could tell by the grimace she was wearing that she wasn't upset about my families circumstances, but the fact that I couldn't be her greatest name drop yet. The last Mazur heir.

What an achievement, I thought sarcastically.

"Ibrahim, Abe, I understand completely," she said, feigning compassion, "Rosemarie is very important to us and to our world, we would never do anything to jeopardise that."

I wanted to scoff at how fake she sounded, but a sharp look from my father cut me off.

"Abe I really do understand, Rosemarie's identity is kept to a need to know basis. Other than myself, only our head Guardian, Alberta, knows, as well as Rosemarie's new Guardian Dimitri. He's the best of the best, you know? I'm sure you've already done a background check on him, but Abe, there is nothing to worry about, Rosemarie is a top priority, and will be kept safe, I promise you."

My head snapped up towards my father when she had mentioned a new Guardian. I had specifically asked not to have one, just like the general population of Moroi at the school, to just be watched over by the collective group of Guardians. I should have known he would never have listened, but I was sick of death following me around, I didn't think I could let another Guardian die for me, no matter how hard I fought for my life.

My father shot me another look, signalling me to keep my mouth shut and not argue with him on this, not now. Probably not ever.

_After all_, I thought to myself, _Father knows best._

"Thank you Ellen, I appreciate your help, but no one else can know," he said politely, obviously of the opinion that it was already three too many that knew. "And, Dimitri is the best of the best."

It was stupid of me to think he hadn't done a background check.

"Most definitely," she agreed, "Rosemarie, I've organised for another senior Moroi to show you around and to help you to get settled in. You will be attending the same classes as her, and considering we are already a few weeks in, she will be able to help catch you up if need be."

I nodded and thanked her, sounded reasonable. Better to have a forced friend than none at all.

"Who have you asked Ellen?" My father questioned her. No doubt he would know exactly who she was. He liked to think he knew everything and everyone my father, never mind the fact that he probably did.

"Vasilisa Dragomir."

"The Dragomir Princess? Do you really think that's such a great idea Ellen? With the Queen's interest in her, it could put Rose at risk of exposure."

My father was extremely overprotective of me, this girl, Vasilisa, was the last of her family and she hadn't been forced into a ridiculous, quasi witness protection program.

"Rosemarie will be fine Abe. Vasilisa isn't wrapped up in politics like the other royals, and she is a very well behaved student. Plus, she will be a great help to get Rose integrated back into American culture, it would be like she never left." The glare my dad was sporting now was more than enough for the headmistress to know she had said the wrong thing.

And for the second time that night head snapped up. What had she meant by that, 'it would be like she never left'? I had never been! Never in my life had I been to America, I spoke perfect English but otherwise I had never been outside of Turkey or Russia.

Realising her mistake, Kirova brushed it away, stating that it was just a saying people used, it hadn't meant anything, but the look on my fathers face confirmed she was lying.

What was going on here? My father had been secretive my whole life, that was nothing new, but things were starting to seem hazy and my fathers stories weren't adding up anymore.

My father, Zmey, as some liked to call him, was once again saved, just before I could begin an onslaught of questions, by the ringing phone on Kirovas desk.

Apparently my new Guardian, or personal slaves, as I'm sure the American Moroi would regard them, was here to meet me.

"Guardian Belikov has just finished his shift and is on his way here now, Rosemarie. He is most definitely the best of the best, and I'm sure you'll get to know each other fairly quickly."

I wasn't someone people would want to know. No matter how influential I could be, or how rare I would be to the royal Moroi society, as the last of my line. Not with my track record.

The only thing that would follow my name, Lady Rosemarie Mazur, or just Rose Hathaway, was death.

And then it hit me. Belikov, Dimitri Belikov. I had heard that name before. I had never met him, but I knew the name. My best friend Viktoria had talked about him all the time, he was her hero, and he was her older brother. She had always said he was a huge softy, but extremely scary when he was in fight mode. Even though Viktoria hadn't blamed me for the broken arm she received that fateful night, it wasn't likely she would graduate with the other novices this year, so I had no doubt which side of her precious 'Dimka' I'd be seeing. And it wasn't going to be pretty.

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**I have a google doc set up for this story so if anyone would like to join and be a beta or just help me bounce around ideas please let me know! The more the merrier!**

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Thanks for sticking around guys! Don't forget to let me know what you think!


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